Power outage disrupts flow of oil

ANCHORAGE — Oil production at Prudhoe Bay, the nation's most prolific oil field, halted on Friday when a vehicle clearing snowdrifts damaged the power supply to processing centers.

Prudhoe Bay had been sending about 380,000 barrels of crude oil a day down the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, said Steve Rinehart, spokesman for field operator BP PLC. Rinehart said production would be "way down" on Friday and would ramp back up over the next several days.

BP's Northstar field also went offline as a result of the power outage. Northstar produces about 79,000 barrels of crude daily from a man-made island in the Beaufort Sea. All told, Alaska's North Slope fields produce about 730,000 barrels each day.

With a blizzard hampering visibility, the operator of the front loader struck a compressed-air line at the central power station, Rinehart said. The line controls the power station's fuel system. Seven plants shut down as a result.

Rinehart said the power supply has been re-energized, with four of the plants expected back online later Friday. The company hopes to have the rest operating by today.

There were no injuries, and power supplies to workers' camps and other facilities in the remote Arctic region were not interrupted.

State officials said BP had not reported any spills. They are relying on the company for periodic updates, according to Allison Iversen, coordinator of the state Petroleum Systems Integrity Office.